Week's Summary

This was mostly a taper week (can't you tell). I did dial back the mileage a bit, but probably not as much as I should, with a marathon coming up on the horizon.

I did manage to get in a quality speed work out on Tuesday. I didn't want to do it, but figured I better get my fast twitch muscles firing. It actually went okay but I have yet to see any improvement in my faster training.

I am feeling pretty good overall. I do have some plantar fasciitis, which seems to go with the territory in terms of long distance running.

Goals for This Weekend's Marathon

I don't have any lofty goals for the Sand Hollow Marathon, which I did last year. I don't think it is necessarily a "fast" course. There are a few big hills and the weather appears to be on the warm side (high of 70 degrees). Granted, the weather can change a lot between now and next Saturday, but I am willing to bet it will be on the warmer side.

I would love to beat last year's time (roughly 4:08). I suspect I'll be in that range assuming no stomach meltdowns, wind, or weather woes. I don't think my fitness is as good as it was last year, but I do have the advantage of knowing the course. Plus, it is at a lower altitude so that will help.

Mostly I just want to enjoy the experience and have fun exploring a part of the state I don't normally get to hang out too much at.

The plan is to stay in Cedar City on Friday night (all the hotels in the Hurricane / St. George area were sold out), drive the 45 minutes to the race site. Run the race and clean up as best as I can at the race site. Then I plan on making my way to Mesquite, NV for an afternoon / night of revelry and gluttony.

500 Miles

I am not sure when I reached 500 miles last year, but I was pretty jazzed this week to hit 500 miles for the year. That means I am roughly on track to meet or possibly exceed last year's total. I am not sure it was one of my goals for this year, but it seems to be a side effect of running more. I haven't really intended to run as much, but I am hoping it makes the marathon a bit easier.